It was October 1994 when Stephanie (BFAGR ‘96) was first introduced to Joseph Robison (BS ‘96, MD ‘01).
He was one of the RAs at Broward, and she was residing at Rawlings. Her RA at the time, Lisa, introduced the two. Joseph just happened to be one of the funniest, smartest and coolest guys she ever met.
Like so many great love stories, Stephanie thought he had no idea who she was at first, and she definitely thought she ruined her chances when she picked a terrible movie for their first date.
Joseph claims he did not intend to call her after that, but fortunately he decided to pick up when Stephanie invited him over to eat way too much pizza.
Others called him “Crazy Joe”, which left Stephanie wanting to know more, but to her he was the person she wanted to tell everything to.
Joseph took an interest in her. He asked about her day, and his presence and voice seemed to make her feel at ease.
“I had a feeling that he was going to be the one because it wasn’t any kind-of stomach-turning, crush feeling,” Stephanie said. “It was calming to see him or hear his voice on the phone.”
In January following graduation, the couple took a trip to Magic Kingdom where Joseph proposed. When fall came around, Joseph attended medical school at UF, while Stephanie worked as a graphic designer in Gainesville and Ocala.
Gainesville quickly became the foundation for the Robison’s to begin the rest of their lives. Twenty-four years later and they have built a life in Celebration, Florida, and added another member to their family.
“Crazy Joe” and Stephanie have introduced their 5-year- old son to Gator football and often spend their free time drawing with him. Other interests of theirs include crochet, golf, spending time with friends, and of course—the place where all the magic happens—Disney.
Stephanie said the path to a long lasting love is to treat one another with respect and tackle all of life’s obstacles as a team.
“A long life together is made of a few big moments, but mostly it’s a million tiny ones,” Stephanie said. “Appreciate as many as you can."
